Phoenix
by BewareTheRose
Summary: My take on Daryl's POV during Beth's burial and her POV for when she wakes up in that grave.


**AN:** Is it bad that I wrote a small fic of Beth's funeral and awakening? Cause I totally did! God, I am so living in Denial Land. The thing is: I like it here! So, for the first time I feel like I may continue a fic YAY! So let me know what you think. Really sorry for any mistakes, english is not my native language.

I own nothing, cause obviously if I did I wouldn't have shot Beth in the head or I would at least have given her a proper reason for this Comic!Carl-like or Biblical!Jesus-like storyline (which if it's true, I'm really excited about), not that dumb move with Dawn, besides my Bethyl reunion would have been so much better and with better I mean cheesy hehe, but I digress.

PS. I sort of tried to make Beth's covering sheet like the Shroud of Turin (?) because of the religious symbolisms of this season and also for the small factor of infections. I thought that would be a way of trying to avoid that and keep the wound somewhat clean. So if it's not very clear how it's wrapping her, it's supposed to go under her body and then over, in a way that's not really closed up. That's how she can get her hands out of it.

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><p>He kissed her forehead before laying her on the ground. He felt her blood stain his lips once again. He did not mind; maybe he would never wipe it away at all. Her skin was colder, yet it was not as cold as he expected. Maybe it was due to the hot thick air that surrounded them sticking to their skin, the presage of a storm. Or maybe Beth would simply never be cold. Not even in death. That thought made him remove his leather vest and place it upon her. He loved the vest, it was true, but he didn't want her to be cold. He liked her warmth and just maybe he could preserve it for a little while longer. Besides, he had loved her far more than that, and she was gone. He didn't care if the vest would be too. When he rose from the grave, he saw the gesture brought tears to everyone's eyes. He looked at Beth again and understood why. She had wings now, and with the sun reflecting on her golden hair, she had an aura.<p>

_Now she is an angel._

It felt a sin to bury her. To cut her eternal view of the stars. To hide her from the world, one of the only treasures it still possessed. But this world didn't deserve her. And so he covered her with the sheet she was laying on top of, as Rick picked the shovels. Father Gabriel started his eulogy as Daryl began to hide this world from her precious innocent eyes. He would not let her see it. He would not let the living dead get to her. And so he buried her, and with her, a piece of his own heart. It didn't matter now. There was no hope.

_The good ones don't survive._

The rain began then.

_Even the sky is weeping._

They finished the burial somewhat poorly. He feared the storm would wash away their progress, and he probably should protect her more from the walkers. However, something in the others still clung to survival, and they needed shelter, standing in the middle of an open field during a storm was hardly wise. Daryl could have stayed there, he did not mind the rain. He did not mind the cold. He did not mind much anymore. However, the others started their final goodbyes. And so he left. Beth would know why.

_I hate goodbyes._

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><p>The water falling on her face was not the first thing she felt when her senses returned, but it was what ultimately woke her. No, the first thing would have to be the pain. The list was long, though. It included cold, weakness and suffocation, both by the weight of something over her and the shortness of air, not to mention complete and utter disorientation.<p>

She gasped for air, but only a small amount of oxygen really filled her lungs. She tried to open her eyes for the first time to no avail, she could see nothing but complete darkness. It made her somewhat aware, however, that she was covered by a wet sort of sheet. Her hands were faster than she would have thought possible in her current state of debility, they pushed against the sheet with energy, only to be met with a barrier above her. Claustrophobia was also incredibly fast to come, and panic rose to her throat as her arms found the slits in the sides of the sheet. They also met handfuls of mud as they clawed their way to the surface. It wasn't very hard, despite her lack of strength, the hole wasn't deep and the mud slipped to the sides as she pushed it. The next part was incredibly hard though. Nearly impossible actually, but she somehow pulled herself from the ground.

As she stood, the sheet and a vest fell from her body, rain soon replaced them, falling mercilessly over her. She instinctively reached for the vest and put it on, as a shield from the storm, her entire body felt cold already, she did not need rain making it worse. However, the cold water was welcomed with a relief in her sore head. The awareness of the pain made her once again focused.

_What happened? Where am I? Why was I on that hole? And most importantly why does my head hurt so much? _

She took a few steps towards the woods and away from the open field. _Storms can bring lightning, right? So open fields are bad._ She tried to rationalize. However she had no idea where she was going or what she was doing. When she felt somewhat safer beneath a couple of trees, her legs almost gave in. She felt faint and the world seemed to be a blur for a moment. The only thing that was real enough was the pain. _Good God, how can it hurt so much?_ She reached to touch the sore spot on the back of her head. It felt incredibly sticky but she did not notice the hole at first. It was only when she brought her hand to her eyes, and saw the blood, that she screamed. She touched her forehead, then. Yes, there was more blood, but now she felt a small entry wound. Her breathing became erratic and the world spun out of control. It was only when she heard a voice coming from behind her, that she focused on something again. She turned around seeking the source and saw a man. He wore a cream jacket with the hood covering his features. He pulled it away as his breathing normalized, and she somewhat registered that it meant he came running to her. He held a big hunting knife in one hand, looking ready to fight.

"Are you okay?" He said as he squinted her up and down, looking for bites he would never find. It was then that her legs finally gave out and her consciousness finally slipped, she lost entirely her grip on the world as she hit the ground.


End file.
